Improved bailkoad-rail



V substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

SACHUSETTS.

Letters Patent No. 71,417, dated Noaember 26, 1867.I

IMPROVED :RAILROAD-RAILl` @tin tigrhule referrer tu in vtigen trtttrstant uur making uut nf tige tame KNOW ALL MEN :BY THESE PRESENTS: y y

That we, GEORGE V. SHEFFIELD and BYRON WnIroonis,-of the city and countyof Worcester, and Common-` wealth of Massachusetts, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Rails;` and we do`GEORGE v.V SHEFFIELD AND BYRON W-iurconn, 0F WORCESTER.; Mas-y' herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, reference benghadto the accompanying drawings, forming a partof Vthis speciiication in which- Figure 1 represents a. perspective viewof two sectionsof our improved rails as they` appear when spliced orconnected for use.-

Figure `2 represents a longitudinal central section en line A B, iig. 1,and Figure S represents across-section on' lineC D, fig. 1.

To enable those skilled in the art to which our invention belongs tomakeand use the same, we will proceed i to describe it more in detail.

The nature of our invention consists, rstin a new form of rail,- theform being 'shown in'igs.`1` and 2; l and our inventionveonsists,second, in a new and improved mode of fastening or splicing the rails,as will be hereafter explained. Y

In the drawings, the parts marked A A. are the surfaces which receivethe tread of the wheel, and them p depressed part B is the part throughwhich the spikes or bolts are passed to fasten the rail to the sleepers.Our rail is rolled with a central groove, C, and has two elevations orti'eadsD D forsupporting the wheels 'of'the 1. l cars, the wheelsrunning upon the surfaces AfA. lThe base of the rail may be` rolled withslightly-projecting i sides, as seen at a a, g. 3; and, if preferred inany case, to make the rail `light, V-shaped grooves may be i rolled inthe bottom or base of the rail, as shown in dotted lines, fig. 3. Therails are connected by means of a 1 splice-piece, E, rolled or otherwiseformed to fit the groove C, the ends being depressed, as seen at-b b, sothat theheads c c of the bolts ci d shall fall below the surfaces A A ofthe rails D D. `The holes in the base B of the` 3 rails, through whichthe bolts dd pass, are made oblong to admit of'the proper' expansionand` contraction of the rails. The bolts d cl may bc held in place bynuts e e, or by any other suit-able means. The centre part i of thesplice E extends up high enough to receive the tread of the wheelsasthey pass fromftheend of one rail i vto that of the next, thuspreventingr all injury to the ends of the rails, while, at the sametime, forming, in fact,

a continuous and even surface for the passage of the wheels, whichrenders the motion of the cars very uniform and easy. After the rail Don one side has been worn out, the entire rail may be reversed, and theother side i or rail D used.

By the construction of our rail, the trcad of the wheel can be broughtdown quite near to the sleeper, i v thereby rendering the strain uponthe rail much less, and insuring a incre uniform and easy motion to thecars.-

The groove C may be of any desired width and depth te receive the spliceE, which is retained in place very i perfectly by the sides of the railsD-D. The flange Vof the car-wheel does not, of course, run in the grooveC,

but on the inside of the inner rail D, precisely as in ordinaryrailways. i The primary' object we have had i`n view has been to producea safer, more economical, and,`in every respect,

better rail than has heretofore been used on steam-railways. The rail ischeaper and more economical in the end by being made in two partsD D,each of which constitutes in itself-a tread for the wheels, sothat,`wl`1en .i

the one tread becomes worn or otherwise damaged, the rail can bereversed, so as to bring the other tread to I take the place` of therst. Moreover, the construction of the rail admits of the bolts andspliccs being pla-ccd i within the groove C, wherethey are held securelyand tightly, and protected from injury. The rail is thus, in

reality, for-med of two separateand distinct rails, each perfect initself, but having their bases united "by the part B. Agroove, as it maybe-called, is thus formed between the two; but this groove is ntenmdedtoreccivc the splices and bolts, and for no other purpose.

44The broad base of the rail gives it great stcadiness and additionalstrength, and admits of its being L `employed to very great advantage inplace of thc ordinary rail.

Having described4 our'improvcd railroad-rail, what we claim therein ausnew and of our invention, and desire w tosecure by Letters Patent, is

Il. A reversible double rail for railways, made substantially as hereinshown and sot forth, and for the pur,

poses speciiied.v

` 2. The combination, with the lends of two rails, as described, of thecentral splice or connecting-piecc lE,-

.GEORGE V. SHEFFIELD. i vBYRON WHITQOMB. Witnesses:

Tnos. H. Denen, D. L. MILLER.

